Saturday, February 25, 2006

Families and Fodder

So, yesterday afternoon, I received a phone call from my niece (in-law). She was sitting at the airport and had just gotten news that she wouldn't be allowed to stay at her parents home over winter break.

She's at the airport, on her way home, and suddenly has no place to stay because her "loving" parents disagree with her decision to attend an expensive, out-of-state college to pursue a degree in an occupation they don't think she should.

Because it doesn't pay enough money.

So what if she was inspired to become a therapist because of watching the therapy her special needs sister received, and thought that it was wonderful.

In any case, I told her she was welcome to stay with us -- and probably started a war with my husband's brother (who has frequently told everyone to stay out of this whole thing). But, there's right and there's wrong, and turning your nineteen-year-old daughter out into the street because she's not doing as she's told is wrong. At least when what she's doing isn't immoral or illegal.

She arrived at 12:41 a.m. -- UGH. She's here for the week.

My posting, and my writing, will most likely be sporadic for the next ten days or so. But I'm here. And, hey, it's all fodder for the next story, right?

Speaking of fodder for stories, I was waiting to see if my downstairs toilet would flush this morning -- it's tempermental and clogs about every ten flushes or so -- and thought that it would be interesting to include the potty in a story. Is that gross? Am I weird? It's just that I have a tendency to look at everything that's a little off center as neat to write about.